Five Cleaning Spots to Focus On

You have some time this weekend, and you are thinking about cleaning your apartment.  Here are five places in your home that often get ignored while cleaning.  Focusing on these places can give you that clean boost for spring and summer you are looking for.  You can learn more at Apartment Therapy.

1. Interior and cabinet doors
Interior door dirt is a strange thing. You hardly notice it when your doors have grime around the handles and edges from hands opening and closing them, but it's noticeable to guests. Grab a duster, a bucket of warm water mixed with a tiny bit of dish soap and a soft rag. After testing to make sure what you're using doesn't damage the door's surface (especially if it's painted) gently wipe away the residue left behind by hands after removing any dust first. And don't forget about your kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors! I don't know about anyone else, but I always forget to tackle these, but when I do, I feel like I have a near-brand new kitchen and bathroom!

2. Light fixtures
We've written about this before. It doesn't take long, but cleaning out the poor dearly departed bug bodies in your overhead light fixtures will not only eliminate unsightly bug silhouettes but it will also allow a little bit more light to shine in (important for making smaller spaces seem more spacious).

3. Ceiling fans
Now's the time to clean your ceiling fans so they don't fling dust bunnies across the room when you turn them on when warmer weather comes. The best trick to cleaning these without getting yucky fan blade dust everywhere? Grab an old pillowcase, slip over a fan blade and dust into the pillow case, containing the offending dirt particles and keeping them falling to the ground (or your face).

4. Windows & blinds
I honestly never think to clean my windows. But man does it make a world of difference when I do. Remember, small spaces benefit from as much light as they possibly can get, and cleaning your windows will let more light in — more than you'd imagine! And dusty, dirty blinds are just unseemly and no match for a home you try to keep clean regularly. Luckily, folks with small spaces usually don't have as many windows to clean!

5. Baseboards
Yep, this was posted about last weekend. Did you tackle them then? If you did, you can totally skip this one because they're probably still pretty clean. If you still haven't tackled this often forgotten home chore, find your favorite tip in this post and then consider this chore! Again, smaller spaces means smaller square footage so you might not have too many baseboards to clean!

10 Commandments of Organization

Living in a small apartment and keeping organized can be hard.  Apartment Therapy has the ten commandments of keeping a small space organized.   Keep reading to learn more.  You are one blog away from having a clean organized apartment!

1. Build upwards.

The thing that has made the single biggest difference in how we utilize our space (besides caving in and renting public storage) was to custom build a wall unit, doubling as my office and bookshelves, that extends all the way up to the ceiling.

2. Take advantage of any dead space.

We purchased sliding drawers to take advantage of the space under the bed, have storage boxes under the sofa and have baskets to utilize the space over cabinets.

3. Find storage offsite.

This might sound crazy but our compromise between our Public Storage unit (which is a ways away) and in the apartment is the trunk of our car. Items like suitcases that are frequently used, relatively inexpensive and bulky tend to reside there full time.

4. Prioritize.

Even with the mild weather in California I rotate my wardrobe so that off season items don't take up precious storage space, and while I have a wish list of kitchen appliances I only purchase the ones I know that I will use almost daily. We also pared down the dishes in the cupboard to five of each item and put the rest of the set into storage.

5. Store things where you use them.

We keep the bottle opener and other bar tools inside the ice bucket on our bar cart, the roll of trash bags at the bottom of the wastebasket and since our kitchen is without a single drawer our utensils are stored in our kitchen table.

6. Be tidy.

I know it goes without saying but a little bit of clutter can look like a lot in a small space and a pile of laundry quickly becomes a mountain, doing a little, often, makes a huge difference.

7. Make it multifunctional.

Multipurpose items, like our dining table with built in storage and the desk we built into our wall unit help you get the most out of your space without leaving a huge footprint.

8. Buy pieces you don't mind looking at.

This might sound like an excuse but I always spend just a little more to get household items that I don't mind putting on display, this goes for everything from hand soap in pretty packaging to a stainless steel toaster, since I can see nearly everything all the time it's worth a little extra up front to avoid staring at something I hate.

9. Buy the smallest possible version of things like appliances.

While I would love a barista style manual espresso machine, our little pod operated Nespresso makes so much more sense in terms of space. Buying smaller versions of appliance may seem limiting but so is giving up the counter space.

10. Maximize the space you do have with space saving products.

Products like huggable hangers and vacuum bags that are marketed to the clutter prone? They are your best friend. Investing in things that help you utilize the space you have really do add up.

Cleaning Tricks for All Clothing Items

We have all had the stain in our clothing items that refuse to come out.  There may be a solution that you do not know about though.  Did you spill red wine on your dress at a party, or did someone spill it on your carpet? Don't let your favorite University of Memphis shirt get ruined by a stain.  You can learn more cleaning tricks at Apartment Therapy.

STAIN REMOVAL STAPLES

I find the best way to deal with stains is to be prepared. I keep my cupboard stocked with enzyme detergent (best for removing protein-based stains such as food or sweat), rubbing alcohol, baking soda, Borax, and clean absorbent rags.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

I also follow these general guidelines: 1. Never apply heat (iron or dryer) to a stained piece of clothing until the stain is completely removed; and 2. Read the clothing label for washing instructions before cleaning. If the stain is on upholstery or carpet, the goal is to dissolve the stain with a solvent (often water or club soda) and pull it out with something more absorbent than the upholstery/carpet, like a sponge or rag. If using a harsher cleaning agent, make sure to test for colorfastness before accidentally bleaching the dye out of the fabric.

Some of the most common and most annoying stains are from red wine, ballpoint pen ink, and vegetable oil. Here are some techniques for cleaning them up.

RED WINE ON CLOTHING

1. When discovered, immediately saturate the stain with club soda, cold water, or white wine.
2. Blot with an absorbent cloth.
3. Sprinkle with salt and let stand 1-2 minutes, then rinse in cold water and rub stain out.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 until it stops fading.
5. Rub liquid enzyme detergent into the stain and let stand 3-4 minutes, then rinse in cold water. Do not use natural bar soap or stain could set.
6. If stain is still visible, apply a spot stain remover.
7. Launder with liquid enzyme detergent.

WINE ON CARPET

1. Blot up as much wine as possible.
2. Soak the stain in club soda or cold water. Blot, and if necessary, repeat.
3. Make a paste out of water and either Borax or baking soda. Rub it into the stain and let dry.
4. Vacuum, and if necessary, repeat.

PEN INK

1. Place stained fabric on top of an absorbent cloth. Blot with water or rubbing alcohol (whichever removes more ink) until no more ink comes off stain.
2. Launder in hottest water safe for fabric.
3. If stain remains, lay it out in the sun to bleach the rest of the stain.

OIL

1. Apply a laundry presoak or clear (undyed) dish soap.
2. Wash in the hottest water safe for fabric.

If you have any useful stain-fighting tips, please let us know in the comments!

Storage in an Apartment

Are you running out of room to store items in your apartment? Apartment Therapy has some great tips on how to get the most out of your living space. There is always a nook or cranny that become a new organizational home for your items. You can learn more here.

Use the space above your kitchen cabinets
Pictured above: Loved a lot of the ideas (plus the very cute baby) in My Small Home: Carrie's Small Space Solutions. But there was one idea that stuck out because it was so simple and functional: Don't waste that space above the upper kitchen cabinets, but don't clutter it either. Use a uniform bunch of decorative baskets or boxes to store utilitarian things like light bulbs, tools and other things that you don't need every day. By keeping them uniform you don't overwhelm the senses. We'd suggest doing what Carrie did and leave a little space between each container so it doesn't feel too heavy, either.


Remember that storage is still sometimes display

We loved the idea to remember in How To Deal When Your Closet Isn't in Your Room (or Maybe Isn't Even a Closet). Taryn talked about remembering that in small spaces where lack of closets causes the need to store some items out in the open, it's important to remember that this storage is actually display. Spending attention to make it more attractive will make it feel intentional, and not just like you're living in a closet. The post is talking about clothing, but you can make this argument with just about any object. If you've got to store out in the open — say like your toiletries in your bathroom — create a lovely visual display so that it becomes decoration and not clutter.

You can buy or DIY magnetic knife holders to save space

We always forget about this neat space-saving idea. Perhaps because our parents never used them, but it is a great idea for keeping tools handy and utilize previously unused wall space. And consider expanding the idea beyond knives...what other metal kitchen utensils that you use could be treated this same way? Find options you can buy and DIY here: Small Space Kitchen Tip: Use a Double Magnetic Knife Holder.


Transform your dining room to double duty

We know just about any room can pull double duty in small homes when needed, but we can't think of a better space than the dining room. Why spend energy to transform it into a space you can also do work in? Well because you're probably already using it in that way a little bit anyway, so taking a little extra time to incorporate some furniture that might help you tuck the creative/work objects away when it comes to food time might help keep a compact dining room uncluttered — and more enjoyable — more often. Find an example of doing it right: 5 Double-Duty Room Combos that Always Work.

Moving into Stratum on Highland

Are you excited to move into Stratum on Highland next year?  We are very excited to have you in our community! The University of Memphis and the surrounding area is a great place to live and learn.  Here are some great moving tips for next year! You can learn more here.

MAKE A CALENDAR

When planning a move, it's helpful to draw up a calender beforehand, to prevent tasks from taking you by surprise. Make your best estimate of the time it will take to pack and transport your belongings, and then, for safety's sake, add an additional 20 percent.

MEASURE THE SPACE

Before moving your possessions, carefully measure both the space of the apartment itself and the hallways and staircases that lead to them, to make sure they'll fit. This is particularly important with large furniture and mattresses. There's nothing worse than purchasing a California king mattress, only to realize the staircase is too narrow to accommodate it.

CLEAN UP FIRST

Before your apartment becomes crowded with furnishings, take advantage of its emptiness to do a thorough cleaning. Change the toilet seats and disinfect the fridge. Also, if you have any concerns about pests, including roaches, rats and bedbugs, the period before you move in is the time to spray and set traps.

ORDER FURNITURE AND UTILITIES IN ADVANCE

If you're purchasing new furniture for your apartment, remember to order in advance, as there is often a few days' lag time between purchase and delivery. The same is true of utilities, such as electricity and gas, as well as cable and the Internet. Plan ahead to avoid spending your first night on the floor in the dark and cold.  

MOVE IN ON A QUIET DAY

If possible, schedule your move for a quiet day, such as a weekend. Move-ins are stressful all by themselves, but can become well nigh intolerable if you're competing with heavy traffic. If you expect the move to be quick, avoid rush hour and do it in the middle of the day.

KEEP THE FURNISHINGS SIMPLE

When moving into your first apartment, that heady rush of independence can cause you to want to go all out with the furnishings. However, consider first how long you're planning to stay in the space: if your lease is short, you may be out quickly. Keep your furnishings simple and adaptable to a number of different spaces.

CHANGE THE LOCKS

Unless your apartment is brand new, you're not the first person to live there. After you've moved in, ask the permission of your landlord to change the locks.